


Absolute Time

by Heki564



Series: Serendipity of Time [3]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2018-10-27 22:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10817604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heki564/pseuds/Heki564
Summary: A series of excerpts from Serendipity of Time that don't fit in with the over all plot or holds other character's point of views than are shown. Tags to be added as characters and themes are brought in. Characters and ships will be listed in the chapter titles.These stories can be read alone but there will be a better understanding if you have also read SoT.





	1. Leonard - Revelations

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in the present during episode nine when Len is trapped on Cronos' ship. Mentions of future character death.

_ Well it seems like one of us lost track of time. _

Len may be many things, a thief and a murderer among the worst of those, but he would never leave one of his own behind. There hasn’t been a moment since dropping Mick off that Len hadn’t thought about going back for him. Losing track of time, of that need to return to his partner, wasn’t a possibility. There had to be a better explanation for him not coming back for Mick.

Which leads to the real meaning behind Mick’s words. That he never intended to. But it’s like he said, he may not have trusted his partner aboard the Waverider anymore, but he really did intend on going back for him. It was his plan all along. One he had started formulating after 2046 and hoped he would never have to implement. 

So Mick had to be wrong, which wasn’t hard to see. This Mick wasn’t his partner of thirty years. It was Cronos, a man completely remade by the time masters. His Mick would never have threatened Lisa, let alone plan to kill her over and over again in front of her brother. Mick has always been a wild card, but he had also always been protective of Lisa. It hurt to see his friend so broken. 

He would never let this happen. He would have to be dead. And that was it, wasn’t it. It hit him suddenly and left him feeling numb. In the future, some time on this mission, he would die. It perfectly explained why he wouldn’t be able to go back for Mick. But that left him reeling over something completely different. His own mortality.

He started thinking about all that he would leave behind. Mick would be left to the time masters and Lisa… Lisa would be left wondering what happened to him, if Mick didn’t actually succeed as Cronos and kills her first. And Ray… Ray would be fine after time. He had already moved on with Saunders as it was. He may mourn for a while, but it would be no different from the way it was now.

He hated Mick, at least Cronos Mick. This revelation was eating away at his mind. He couldn’t think about it anymore, deciding to focus instead on the problem at hand. He needed to escape, to warn the team, to stop Mick from becoming the monster the time bastards wanted him to be. He needed to form a plan, something familiar to block out the intrusive thoughts of the bomb that had just been dropped on his head. 

So plan he did. He knew Mick had gotten his weapon from behind him somewhere, so he would first need to make it to the other side of the rail he was tied to. He forced his way down it, only focusing on the end goal. 

Once there, the next obstacle was met. How to get ahold of the cold gun. It was simple enough to knock it down and pull it over to him, but the problem lied in how to free himself if he couldn’t grab the gun and shoot the cuffs at the same time. There was no promise that he wouldn’t hit his hands if he tried using his foot to shoot, which lead him to his conclusion. What was a loss of a limb to the loss of his partner, his team, or his sister. 

In a split second he made his decision. He was dead either way and he was surprised at how liberating that knowledge had become. It left him with nothing to lose. So with that in mind, he aimed the gun and shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have so many ideas for SoT that didn't really fit in with what I am going for in the fic itself so I decided to make a little companion series with all those moments in it. There will be more as I start to diverge from canon too, because I think I would enjoy showing how the changes effect other characters as well. I will tag each chapter as needed but as we go along I will be adding tags to the over all story so watch for those if you need to.
> 
> There's going to be no linear order to these. I'll just post them as I write them, but they won't be any further ahead than SoT so you won't have to worry about spoilers for that. 
> 
> As always, thanks to my beta [Mimi](http://mickburnsalot.tumblr.com/) for putting up with all the heart break I put her through. Come join her in yelling at me on my [tumblr.](http://leonardsnarksalot.tumblr.com/)


	2. TimeHex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon seeing Jonah after all these years, the familiar confusing mix of feelings began to bubble right back up to the surface. He couldn’t handle it, so he tried to push the man away. He left Hex in the care of his team and hoped that with the other’s help they wouldn’t get into too much trouble. In hindsight that was asking a bit too much from this group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during chapter 11 of SoT. A long overdue conversation between Rip and Jonah.

Rip knew that coming back to the Old West was a bad idea, yet he couldn’t stop himself from setting the course. He had hoped that the combination of a different year and town along with staying on the ship would save him from running into the one person in the universe that he would love to avoid more than the Time Masters. 

What he didn’t account for was the unpredictable bad luck his team seemed to bring. Of all the people that they could have run into, it had to be Jonah Hex. It seems his luck is just as bad as theirs.

Upon seeing Jonah after all these years, the familiar confusing mix of feelings began to bubble right back up to the surface. He couldn’t handle it, so he tried to push the man away. He left Hex in the care of his team and hoped that with the other’s help they wouldn’t get into too much trouble. In hindsight that was asking a bit too much from this group.

It didn't take long for them to mess up, taking yet another hostage aboard the Waverider while simultaneously leaving Jax as one. Really, he should have known better. Yet it only got worse from there as in the fight that ensued a truth was revealed that he had hoped would never come to light.

He had never meant for Jonah to find out about what he knew before he left. Actually, he had hoped to never see Jonah again, no matter how much that pained him. He had made a terrible mistake in leaving, more so in staying as long as he had. If he hadn't of gotten attached to the time period, to Jonah, this would never have happened. His heart wouldn't ache so much.

In truth, he loves his wife and son. This was proven in the way he was fighting to save them. He would give everything and anything to protect them. The longer the mission to save them takes, the more his heart feels like it's constricting in his chest. 

However, it is also true that he loves Jonah. It wasn't something he readily admits for a million and one reasons, but that didn't make it any less true. Leaving him had been the single hardest thing he has ever done beyond what he was trying to do now. 

He had come to the Old West for a simple mission to protect the timeline. In and out. Then he met Jonah Hex. Back then, at the beginning of his career, Rip had made just as many mistakes as the group he traveled with now. Falling for a handsome face with a moral compass and a willingness to do anything to follow it was one of those mistakes.

It wasn't hard for the man to convince Rip that saving just one person from a band of renegades wouldn't affect the timeline too much. From there it spiraled out of control until Rip found himself waking up early on the day Calvert was to be destroyed. 

He knew this would be the one event that would drastically change the time line. An entire town’s continued existence meant all of the people who died would go on to live. Dozens of lives added to the timeline with unknown futures. The Time Master in him shuttered at the thought, but try as he might, he couldn't get Jonah to leave.

He tried for weeks to convince him that the town would be fine on its own. Jonah argued that there were only farmers and their families living there. He had argued that innocent people who have never witnessed a fight in their lives couldn't protect themselves. He wasn't wrong.

For a week he was torn between his sworn duty and the man he had come to love. In the end he chose duty, though he had to rip himself from their bed. He would like to say his sense of duty was strong enough that he didn't look back, but that would be a blatant lie.

He was angry for so many years after. He was angry at Jonah for making him chose, at the Time Masters for engraving the rules so deeply into his mind, and at himself for everything that led up to that choice. He had even been mad at Miranda for not being Jonah. It was ridiculous and petty but he couldn't help it. 

Then Jonas was born and everything clicked into place. It was easier to love Miranda when looking at their son. It was also easier to put Jonah in the back of his mind, even if he had named his son after him.

Eventually his time in the Old West faded to the background, only popping in on nights of deep contemplation while out on missions from the Time Masters. Or whenever anyone asked about his son’s name. At those times he couldn't help the fond look that came over him as he replied, “He's named after the bravest man I have ever known.”

Not only was he brave, but he had the power to back it. Rip poked at the oncoming bruise that had begun to show on his jaw, wincing at the pain. After all this time he still had a mean punch. 

The door to his room hissed as it opened behind him. Looking in the mirror, he saw Jonah standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. The look on his face portrayed just how much Rip was going to enjoy this conversation. That was, not a lot. “Yes, Jonah?” He turned away from the mirror. 

Jonah walked the rest of the way into Rip’s room, the door closing behind him. “I reckon we need to have a conversation.”

Rip sighed. “I thought that might be the case.” He waved a hand in a ‘go ahead’ gesture.

“Couple a your posse here told me you named your son after me,” there was an inflection in his voice at the end that portrayed more of a question than a statement. 

Rip closed his eyes in exasperation. This was another truth Rip would prefer to have kept from Jonah. “Which one of them told you that?”

“Does it matter?” Jonah asked, staring Rip down. “Is it true?”

Rip looked away, unable to hold his gaze for long. “I need to know so I can reprimand them for sticking their nose into another person’s business.” 

“Quit beatin’ the devil around the stump, Rip,” frustration tinged his voice as he took a step towards Rip. “Did you name your son after me?”

Instead of answering outright, Rip stated, “My son’s name is Jonas.”

Jonah took a deep breath at the mention of the name but still reiterated, “That ain’t an answer.”

“Yes,” he admitted. “I named him after you.”

“Why?” Jonah looked genuinely confused. Rip thought he would have understood at least one reason why.

Rip watched him for a moment before approaching Hex. He stopped right in front of him. Slowly, he raised a hand, giving Jonah an opportunity to stop him. He didn’t so Rip continued until he was brushing against the other’s burn. Where once he had felt stubble he now felt the bare ripples of burned skin. It was painful to realize that this was because of him. He had no doubt Jonah had acquired the scars in the destruction of Calvert. “Believe it or not, Jonah, you are one of the most important people in my life,” he answered honestly. “And I never wanted to harm you.”

They were enveloped in silence as Rip let Jonah process what he had just said. Finally, Jonah broke it by backing out of Rip’s reach, “Then why did you leave?”

“I told you,” Rip stated, looking away from the other. “I wouldn’t have been able to continue being a Time Master if I had stayed.”

“No offence,” Jonah growled, “but that sounds like a bunch a’ horseshit.”

Rip winced. “It’s true.” Hex looked like he was about to go off on him again so he continued, “But it’s not all of it.” He took a breath. “Changing that event, changing that one moment in history, it would have completely changed the timeline. There would be no controlling it. And that’s only if we managed to save them.” He looked Jonah in the eyes, trying to portray all the emotions and the truth of the next statement. “Time wants to happen, Jonah. They may have all died anyway.”

“So you left ‘cause to you it was hopeless,” Jonah accused.

Rip sighed. “It’s more than that. It could have ripped apart the very fabric of time. It could have destroyed more than a town.”

Jonah shook his head. “I don’t get it. But I suppose I have to take it.” He looked at Rip. “That doesn’t explain you leavin’ me.” He might have tried not to sound hurt but Rip knew better. There was a barely there strain in his voice that he easily picked up on.

“I tried to get you to come with me,” Rip explained. “You were too stubborn to leave and I couldn’t tell you too much about the future.”

“So you left without sayin’ nothin’,” Hex replied.

Rip nodded, feeling horrible. “I couldn’t say goodbye. If I had, I wouldn’t have been able to leave and I  _ needed _ to leave.” He hoped the emphasis would help Jonah see that it wasn’t what he wanted.

Jonah had always respected Rip’s sense of duty. He had told the time master one night that it was what first drew him to the other. To him it meant that Rip was honorable and that went a long way with him. Now seemed  to be no different. “I suppose it’s somethin’ I shoulda seen comin’. I knew you were a Time Master first.”

“But,” Rip started hesitantly. He wasn’t sure he should admit anymore. He was already in dangerous territory but the truth was, he wanted to. “I wanted to take you with me, Jonah.  _ God _ , the hardest thing I had ever done was leaving you behind.”

Jonah watched his face closely and Rip remained quiet. He said everything he could. Now it was up to Jonah to… To what? Rip wasn’t sure what he wanted from this exchange. Understanding? Forgiveness? Maybe he wanted a mixture of both. 

“I believe you, Rip.” Rip released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding at Jonah’s admission. Jonah continued, “But I don’t think I can handle anythin’ beyond that.”

Rip nodded. He hadn’t expected much so he was thankful for what he could get. “I understand.”

Jonah caught Rip’s gaze. “That doesn’t mean any a’ those old feelin’s are gone,” he admitted, startling Rip. “I know you’ve moved on with your wife and kid, but I assume you’ve had more time than me to do so.”

Rip shook his head. “I never once stopped loving you, Jonah.” It was important to him that Jonah understood this, if nothing else.

Jonah stared at him for a moment before letting out a low chuckle. “You always made things more difficult than they needed to be Rip.”

He laughed softly. “Well, easy is too boring.”

“Ain’t that right,” he agreed, chuckling. Jonah brought a hand up to cup Rip’s jaw. “Then for sake of keeping things interestin’,” he punctuated his words with a kiss. It was soft and all too short. It felt like a farewell. It probably was.

Rip allowed Jonah to lead the kiss, to determine how far they would go and for how long. It lasted only a moment and then Hex was withdrawing. Rip let a slight smile grace his face. “Seems we’re both good at being difficult,” there was a melancholy to his tone that he couldn’t quite hide. 

Jonah smiled back at him but sorrow quickly pulled the corners of his mouth back down. “You don’t have to face Stillwater.”

“Are you worried about me, Jonah?” Rip tried to play it off as a joke, putting a teasing tonality to his voice. 

“Of course I am,” Jonah responded, ignoring a chance to lighten the mood. “You could die, Rip.”

Rip sighed at the loss of keeping the conversation light. “You know I’m good at a quick draw. How many times have we done it before?”

“And how many years has it been since then for you?” Anger tinted Jonah’s voice. “You’re out of practice.”

“I will be fine, Jonah.” Rip held out a hand to grip Jonah’s shoulder, squeezing it in reassurance. “I’m not as rusty as you think.”

“You better hope so,” Jonah mumbled, “Or I’ll have to kill you myself.”

Rip decided to let the poor logic lie. “Well, I better go get ready then.” 

“I’ll leave you to it.” Jonah tilted the brim of his hat in parting.

Rip watched him go, feeling lighter than he had before.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have opened up requests for this series while I take a break before starting the sequel. If you want to see a certain scene written out, send me your idea on [tumblr](http://leonardsnarksalot.tumblr.com/) and I'll get working on it. 
> 
> Also check out my beta [Mimi](http://mickburnsalot.tumblr.com/) as she whips my butt into shape when I procrastinate too hard.


End file.
